Concrete Barriers for I-5 Freeway Expansion Rankles Cardiff Resident

During the Encinitas City Council meeting on October 13, Cardiff-by-the-Sea resident George Hejduk expressed concern for the concrete barriers that have been placed around freeway on-ramps to the Interstate 5.

“I didn’t realize that I-5 has started its expansion in Encinitas,” said Hejduk. The project will entail widening the freeway — from 7 to 14 lanes in some areas — between La Jolla and Oceanside.

With the expansion project only in its beginning stages, Hejduk said that accidents have already occurred on the northbound entrances to I-5 from Birmingham Drive and Encinitas Boulevard. He reported witnessing a collision two days earlier on Birmingham and said he heard of another accident at the Encinitas Boulevard on-ramp.

Hejduk pointed out that there is little room to maneuver around the temporary concrete barriers put up by Caltrans and described driving through the entrance as “taking your life in your own hands.”

“This Caltrans, I don’t know what they’re thinking,” said Hejduk. “When I go to the [YMCA] from now on, I’m going the back way.”

Comments

The I-5 ramp widening in Cardiff & Encinitas has been planned for years. It has nothing to do with the proposed 14 lane project which will start, if lucky, by 2020. It continues what was built from Hwy 56 to the Manchester offramp - the adding of an addition lane to keep merging on/off traffic out of the four standard lanes. Perhaps my neighbor Greg shouldn't be driving the fwy if he can't figure out a way safely get on it during the construction?